Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 12, 1990 TAG: 9003123032
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Long
Only hours before, in the Miller 500 Classic at Martinsville Speedway, the stock-car driver learned that slowing for a yellow light at the track can be costly.
Seemingly in line to claim his first NASCAR Busch Grand National victory in 114 starts, Sawyer backed off the throttle when he saw a yellow light with 17 laps left and proceeded to gift wrap a victory for Tommy Houston.
Houston, who never backed off for the yellow light, flew past the slowing leader, built a 12-car-length lead, then held off a charging Sawyer by one length.
"It's a tough way to lose, but I'm not blaming anybody," Sawyer said. "It was just my mistake.
"On the restart, I took the green flag, and when we got to turn one, I saw a yellow light out of the corner of my eye. It was on, no doubt in my mind. I figured something had happened behind me, so I slowed down.
"I threw my arm up [to alert drivers behind to slow down], but I guess they thought I was waving 'em by. Cars just kept blowing by me, so I figured I'd better get going again."
By that time, it was too late. Sawyer caught Dale Jarrett, who also went around him when he slowed, but he didn't have enough time to chase down Houston.
"Another couple laps and we could have gotten him," Sawyer said of Houston. "But you never know. A day late, a dollar short, I guess."
After the race, GN director Robert Black said the "backup flagman was supposed to cut the lights off when the primary flagman waved the green flag."
Bobby Scruggs of Roanoke, the primary flagman, apologized to Sawyer for the backup flagman's mistake.
"I'm sorry boy," Scruggs told Sawyer. "I had to turn around and turn the lights off [after waving the field back to green]."
Houston, who admitted he couldn't have beaten Sawyer without help, said he saw the yellow light, too.
"I didn't know what was happening," he said. "I saw Elton slow down and I figured he must have had a problem. But my crew chief [his son Scott] came on the radio and said, `Keep digging.' So I did."
For 174 laps, pole-sitter Tommy Ellis had dug a deep hole for everybody. Ellis had a four-second lead on Sawyer when his Buick slowed with brake problems.
"Ellis was the class of the field," Sawyer said. "We had everybody covered but him."
When Ellis fell off the pace, Sawyer apparently had it made. Then came the caution on laps 178-183, the restart and the inadvertent yellow light.
"It's a shame Elton had to lose that way," Houston said.
Jarrett finished third, Jimmy Hensley fourth and Bobby Hamilton fifth. Ellis wound up ninth. Ridgeway's Chuck Bown was 10th and Rockbridge Baths' Rick Mast was 14th.
Houston averaged 64.212 mph for the 105.2-mile race. Nine cautions slowed the action for 45 laps.
In the 200-lap Modified event, Reggie Ruggiero staved off Jeff Fuller in a two-car shootout on the final four laps to win at Martinsville for the second time.
The race was slowed by an event-record 12 yellows for 62 laps, reducing Ruggiero's average speed to 65.421 mph.
Ruggiero, who started 17th, charged to the front for good with 58 laps remaining. The 38-year-old Connecticut driver had a seemingly safe lead on the pack until last year's winner, Mike Ewanitsko, spun in turn two, bringing out the final yellow with six laps left.
When the green flew with four laps to go, Fuller pressed Ruggiero for the point but never could muster enough muscle to make a pass.
"I knew if I kept my car down low, Fuller couldn't do anything with me," said Ruggiero, who banked $12,625 for winning the opener of the 23-race Modified tour season.
"I didn't want to see that last caution, though. On the restart with four to go, I just wanted to keep low. I had to make a mistake to lose this race, and fortunately, I didn't."
Jamie Tomaino nipped George Kent at the stripe to take third place. Jerry Cranmer completed the top five.
Pole-sitter Mike Stefanik led the first 61 laps, but the defending national champion's car was roughed up in a restart on lap 126 and limped home 22nd.
In the first race of the tripleheader, David Blankenship, a 32-year-old Richmond driver, zipped to the front on lap 14 and never was challenged in the 100-lap Late Model Stock Car event.
Favored pole-sitter Curtis Markham dogged Blankenship's rear bumper on the final laps, but he couldn't find enough room to pass.
Then, four laps from the finish, Stacy Compton's car hit the backstretch pit wall, the yellow flag came out, and Blankenship coasted to the checkered flag under yellow.
"Curtis tried everything he could, but I don't think he could have passed unless I made a mistake," said Blankenship, who earned $5,825 for his first Martinsville victory.
"I felt we had the strongest car today," he said. "And once I got out front, I didn't think anybody could pass me."
Markham, who beat Blankenship for a $10,000 payday in the Feb. 18 Winston Invitational, settled for second place. Barry Beggarly was third, Johnny Rumley fourth and Charlie Ford fifth.
Eight cautions for 27 laps slowed Blankenship's average speed to 63.141 mph.
Salem's Dicky Wilson finished 14th to head the local contingent. Daleville's Orvil Reedy, despite being involved in three spins, was 23rd. Reedy's son, Tink, had overheating problems and finished 30th in the 32-car field.
\ LUGNUTS: Houston's victory was the first by a GN regular this season. Winston Cup drivers Dale Earnhardt (two) and Michael Waltrip (one) won the first three GN events. . . . It was Houston's third career victory on the .526-mile oval and 20th career GN victory. . . . The day was colored yellow. In the three races, the caution waved a total of 29 times for 134 laps, or 26.8 percent of the 500 laps run. . . . Rocky Mount's Don "Satch" Worley finished seventh in the Modified event. Bassett's Johnny Bryant was 28th. . . . An event-record crowd estimated at 22,400 attended the race in impeccable weather.
by CNB